Description

Bring the 2024 Margaret Mahy Book of the Year into your classroom with this ready-to-go novel study! Nine Girls follows Titch, whose family moves from Auckland to Ngāruawāhia in the late 1970s. She becomes determined to find the gold buried on her family’s land, and an unexpected friendship with Paneiraira, a talking eel, leads her to discover the secrets of her whakapapa. It’s a wonderful mix of mystery, humour, history and Māori culture, and your students will love it.

We’ve done the heavy lifting for you! The novel is split into six sections, and each one includes:
✅ Reading comprehension questions linked to key strategies
✅ Find Out More QR codes and web links
✅ Six Take Your Pick creative activities, with digital and non-digital options
✅ A Keep the Quote section to cut out and explore
✅ Discussion questions for pairs or small groups

Also included:

Tips for use, with page numbers and comprehension strategies for each section
A teacher note on sensitive content
Answer keys for all comprehension questions
Additional web links for the digital activities

Strategies covered: finding information, making connections, analysing characters, making inferences, vocabulary, author’s purpose, setting and plot, sharing opinions, summarising, and cause and effect.

Please note: Nine Girls explores themes of cancer, serious illness and death, and the novel contains some strong language. We recommend reading the book yourself first to check it suits your students. The teacher note inside has some practical suggestions to help.